Motion Sensor with Automatically Adjustable Sensitivity

ABSTRACT

A motion sensor includes a sensor element to sense a motion, and a controller communicably coupled to the sensor element. The controller is configured to set a detection sensitivity of the motion sensor to a maximum setting of the detection sensitivity. The controller is further configured to decrease the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor upon a detection of the motion until the motion is undetectable by the motion sensor at a decreased setting of the detection sensitivity. The controller is further configured to increase the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor until the motion sensor detects the motion at an increased setting of the detection sensitivity and to set the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor to a new setting based on the increased setting.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of and claimspriority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/616,796, filed Jun. 7,2017, and titled “Motion Sensor With Automatically AdjustableSensitivity,” which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/348,305, filed Jun. 10, 2016, andtitled “Motion Sensor With Automatically Adjustable Sensitivity.” Theentire contents of the preceding applications are incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to motion sensors, and moreparticularly to motion sensors with automatically adjustable detectionsensitivity.

BACKGROUND

Motion sensors are commonly used in outdoor security lighting. Forexample, a motion sensor may be used to illuminate an area based onmotion indication signals received within the motion sensor's sensingzone. The range of the motion detection of a motion sensor (e.g., thedistance from the motion sensor that an object can be detected) istypically adjusted via a control input (e.g., switch or knob) located onthe motion sensor housing. A user may want to set/adjust the detectionrange of a motion sensor for a number of reasons. For example, a usermay not want people that are beyond the user's property line to triggerthe motion sensor. As another example, a user may want to avoidtriggering the motion sensor when the user is beyond a certain distancefrom the motion sensor. However, because motion sensors are nottypically installed within easy reach, manually adjusting the controlinput may be challenging. Further, setting/adjusting the range of motiondetection to a desired range is an iterative process of manuallyadjusting the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor and testing thedetection range by walking at the desired range limit until the range ofmotion detection is set to the desired range. Such an iterative processcan be time-consuming and carries an increased risk of injury to theuser when repeatedly attempting to reach the motion sensor.

In some cases, adjusting the range of motion detection to a desiredrange may not be adequate to avoid motion detection. For example, evenafter limiting the detection range with respect to distance from themotion sensor, the motion sensor may still detect motion caused by aperson (e.g., a neighbor) that is on a side of the motion sensor. Tolimit such angular motion detection, a blinder and other structures areoften attached to the motion sensor or in the vicinity of the motionsensor to block a line of sight to the motion sensor. Such solutions canresult in additional cost and installation efforts and may not always beaesthetically desirable.

Thus, a solution that enables easy adjustment of the range of detection(i.e., distance and/or angular range) is desirable.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates generally to motion sensors, and moreparticularly to motion sensors with automatically adjustable detectionsensitivity. In an example embodiment, a motion sensor includes a sensorelement to sense a motion, and a controller communicably coupled to thesensor element. The controller is configured to set a detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor to a maximum setting of the detectionsensitivity. The controller is further configured to decrease thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor upon a detection of themotion until the motion is undetectable by the motion sensor at adecreased setting of the detection sensitivity. The controller isfurther configured to increase the detection sensitivity of the motionsensor until the motion sensor detects the motion at an increasedsetting of the detection sensitivity and to set the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor to a new setting based on the increasedsetting.

In another example embodiment, a motion sensor includes a first sensorelement to sense a first motion in a first area, and a second sensorelement to sense a second motion in a second area. The motion sensorfurther includes a controller configured to set a first detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the first sensorelement to a maximum setting, and to decrease, upon a detection of thefirst motion, the first detection sensitivity of the motion sensor withrespect to the first sensor element until the first motion isundetectable by the motion sensor. The controller is further configuredto increase the first detection sensitivity of the motion sensor withrespect to the first sensor element until the motion sensor detects thefirst motion at an increased setting and to set the first detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the first sensorelement to a new setting based on the increased setting. The new settingis different from a setting of a second detection sensitivity of themotion sensor with respect to the second sensor element.

In another example embodiment, a method of adjusting sensitivity of amotion sensor includes setting, by a controller, a detection sensitivityof the motion sensor to a maximum setting, where the motion sensordetects a motion at the maximum setting. The method further includesdecreasing, by the controller, the detection sensitivity of the motionsensor until the motion is undetectable by the motion sensor, andincreasing, by the controller, the detection sensitivity of the motionsensor until the motion sensor detects the motion at an increasedsetting. The method also includes setting, by the controller, thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor to a new setting, wherein thenew setting is determined based on the increased setting.

These and other aspects, objects, features, and embodiments will beapparent from the following description and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a motion sensor with automatically adjustabledetection sensitivity according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a motion sensor with automatically adjustabledetection sensitivity according to another example embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates detection sensitivity adjustment of a motion sensoraccording to an example embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates detection sensitivity adjustment of the motion sensorof FIG. 2 according to another example embodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates a method of automatically adjusting detectionsensitivity of the motion sensors of FIGS. 1-3 according to an exampleembodiment; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a lighting fixture including a motion sensoraccording to an example embodiment.

The drawings illustrate only example embodiments and are therefore notto be considered limiting in scope. The elements and features shown inthe drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placedupon clearly illustrating the principles of the example embodiments.Additionally, certain dimensions or placements may be exaggerated tohelp visually convey such principles. In the drawings, referencenumerals designate like or corresponding, but not necessarily identical,elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

In the following paragraphs, example embodiments will be described infurther detail with reference to the figures. In the description, wellknown components, methods, and/or processing techniques are omitted orbriefly described. Furthermore, reference to various feature(s) of theembodiments is not to suggest that all embodiments must include thereferenced feature(s).

In some example embodiments, a motion sensor with automatic sensitivityadjustment capability may set/adjust its motion detection sensitivity tosense motion within a desired distance limit automatically, i.e.,without requiring an iterative sensitivity adjustment by a user. Forexample, a motion sensor with automatic sensitivity adjustmentcapability may enter a programming mode (e.g., a range setting mode) inresponse to a user input to set/adjust the sensitivity of motiondetection of the motion sensor. The user input may be provided to themotion sensor wirelessly, for example, from a mobile device, or manuallyvia a user interface (e.g., a control button) of the motion sensor.After providing the user input to the motion sensor, the user may startmoving along the outer boundary of the desired detection range from themotion sensor. Upon entering the programming mode in response to theuser input, the motion sensor may set its motion detection sensitivityto maximum sensitivity to detect the user's motion. After detecting theuser's motion and while the user keeps moving along the desireddetection range limit, the motion sensor keeps adjusting the sensitivitydown until the user's motion is no longer detected by the motion sensor.When the motion detector no longer detects user's motion after reducingits detection sensitivity, the motion sensor starts increasing itsdetection sensitivity until the user's motion is again detected. Thesensitivity level at which the motion sensor detects the user's motionafter increasing its sensitivity may be set as the sensitivity level ofthe motion detection for normal operations. Alternatively, thesensitivity level at which the motion sensor detects the user's motionafter increasing its sensitivity may be used to determine/set thesensitivity level for normal operation of the motion sensor, forexample, by adding sensitivity margins.

In some example embodiments, the motion sensor may include two or moresensor elements with some overlapping and some non-overlapping sensingzones/areas with respect to each other. In such cases, the user maydesire to set the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor todifferent levels with respect different sensor elements. To illustrate,a user may provide an input to the motion sensor to cause the motionsensor to enter a programming mode (e.g., angular range programmingmode). To set/adjust the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor withrespect to a particular sensor element, after providing the user inputto the motion sensor to enter the programming mode, the user may movealong a desired detection range limit within or at the boundary of anon-overlapping sensing zone/area of the particular sensor element. Themotion sensor may set/adjust the sensitivity level with respect to theparticular sensor element by decreasing and increasing the sensitivityof the motion detector in a similar manner as described above withrespect to the setting/adjustment of the overall sensitivity level ofthe motion sensor. The detection sensitivity level of the motiondetection with respect to other sensor elements of the motion detectormay be set/adjusted in a similar manner if desired. The detectionsensitivity level of the motion detector with respect to a particularsensor element may be set/adjusted before or after the overall detectionsensitivity level of the motion sensor is set/adjusted as describedabove.

Turning now to the drawings, particular example embodiments aredescribed. FIG. 1 illustrates a motion sensor 100 with automaticallyadjustable detection sensitivity according to an example embodiment. Forexample, the motion sensor 100 allows a user to set the limit of adetection range of the motion sensor 100 at a desired general distancefrom the motion sensor 100 without the user having to iteratively adjustthe sensitivity of the motion sensor 100. In some example embodiments,the motion sensor 100 includes a controller 102 and a sensor element104. The sensor element 104 is designed to sense a motion of a movingentity. To illustrate, the sensor element 104 may receive infraredsignals indicating a motion, such as a person's motion. A signal thatindicates a motion may also be a reflected signal resulting from areflection of a transmitted signal that is transmitted, for example, bythe motion sensor 100.

In some example embodiments, the controller 102 is communicably coupledto the sensor element 104. For example, the controller 102 may receivean electrical signal from the sensor element 104 that indicates thesensing of a motion by the sensor element 104 within a sensing zone ofthe sensor element 104. To illustrate, the sensor element 104 mayreceive a motion indication signal (e.g., an infrared signal), generatean electrical signal from the motion indication signal and provide theelectrical signal to controller 102. The controller 102 may include ananalog-to-digital converter that converts the electrical signal to adigital signal for processing by the controller 102. For example, thecontroller 102 may include a microcontroller or a microprocessor thatprocesses the digital signal. Alternatively or in addition to theelectrical signal generated from the motion indication signal receivedby the sensor element 104, the sensor element 104 may provide one ormore other signals to the controller 102 indicating sensing status andother information related to the sensor element 104.

In some example embodiments, the motion sensor 100 may also include aradio component (e.g., a wireless transceiver) 106. The motion sensor100 may transmit and receive wireless communication signals using theradio component 106. For example, the radio component 106 may becommunicably coupled to the controller 102, allowing the controller 102to communicate with, for example, a mobile device. A user may use anapplication resident on a mobile device or another type of wirelessdevice to instruct the motion sensor 100 to enter into a programmingmode (e.g., a range setting mode) by wirelessly communicating with thecontroller 102 through the radio component 106. As another example, thecontroller 102 may wirelessly communicate with a wireless device toindicate that the motion sensor 100 (thus, the controller 102) hasentered a programming mode, has exited the programming mode, tosend/receive information related to the sensitivity setting of themotion sensor 100, etc.

In some example embodiments, the motion sensor 100 includes a memorydevice (e.g., an SRAM) that is used to store software executable by thecontroller 102 and data used by and/or stored by the controller 102during operations of the motion sensor 100. For example, the controller102 may execute code stored in the memory device 108 to communicatewirelessly and to determine whether an electrical signal from the sensorelement 104 indicates a motion within the sensing zone of the motionsensor 100. Information such as sensing status information, detectionsensitivity setting, etc. may also be stored in the memory device 108.

In some example embodiments, the motion sensor 100 includes a userinterface 110 (e.g., a knob, a button, a toggle switch, etc.). Forexample, a user may use the user interface 110 to provide an input tothe controller 102 to enter a programming mode. As another example, theuser interface 110 may provide an alternative or back-up means formanual adjustment of the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100.

After a user indicates to the motion sensor 100 to enter the rangesetting programming mode, for example, using the user interface 110 orwirelessly from an application on a mobile device, the controller 102may set a detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 102 to a maximumsetting of the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100. Forexample, the controller 102 may adjust the sensitivity of the motionsensor 100 by adjusting the gain of the sensor element 104 or that ofanother component. In some example embodiments, the motion sensor 100may be set to a maximum sensitivity setting at the time ofmanufacturing/assembly, and the controller 102 may not need to adjustthe sensitivity at initial installation of the motion sensor 100. Afterthe user instructs the motion sensor 100 to enter the range settingprogramming mode, the user may start moving along an edge (i.e.,boundary) of the desired detection range to indicate the desired outerlimit of the detection range to the motion sensor 100.

When the user moves at the edge of the desired detection range that iswithin the maximum detection range of the motion sensor 100corresponding to the maximum sensitivity setting of the motion sensor100, the motion sensor 100 can detect the user's motion. After detectingthe user's motion at the maximum sensitivity setting of the motionsensor 100, the controller 102 may keep decreasing the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor 100 until the user's motion isundetectable by the motion sensor 100.

To illustrate, while the user continues to move at a desired distancelimit from the motion sensor 100, the controller 102 may graduallydecrease the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100 in fixed ornon-fixed sensitivity intervals, where each decrement corresponds todistance decrements (e.g., in feet), until the motion sensor 100 nolonger detects the user's motion. Because the decrease in thesensitivity of the motion sensor 100 eventually results in acorresponding decrease in the detection range of the motion sensor 100,the motion sensor 100 may eventually no longer detect the user's motionas the user continues moving along the boundary of the desired detectionrange that is beyond of the decreased detection range of the motionsensor 100.

After the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100 is decreased toa setting at which the motion sensor 100 no longer detects the user'smotion, the controller 102 may start increasing the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor 100 back up until the motion sensor 100again detects the user's motion. During the gradual increase of thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100, the controller 102 mayperform the increasing of the detection sensitivity at fixed intervalscorresponding to fixed distance increments or at non-fixed intervalscorresponding to variable distance increments until the sensitivity isincreased to a higher sensitivity resulting in the detection of theuser's motion.

After determining the particular setting of the detection sensitivity ofthe motion sensor 100 at which the user's motion is detected during thegradual increase of the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100,the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100 may be set to a newsetting for normal operations of the motion sensor 100. For example, thenew setting may be the same as or may be determined based on theparticular setting of the detection sensitivity that resulted in thedetection of the user's motion during the gradual sensitivity increase.For example, the new setting may be determined based on particularsensitivity setting during the gradual increase in sensitivity and basedon the setting at which the user's motion was no longer detected by themotion sensor 100 during the gradual decrease in sensitivity. Forexample, the new setting may be based on the average of the twosettings. The controller 102 may store the new setting in the memorydevice 108 and exit the programming mode after setting the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor 100 to the new setting.

Upon changing the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100 to thenew setting, the motion sensor 100 may communicate the new setting tothe user, for example, wirelessly via the radio component 106.Alternatively or in addition, the motion sensor 100 may flash a light,turn off a light, turn on a light, etc. to indicate that the detectionsensitivity has been set and/or the programming mode is exited. In someexample embodiments, the motion sensor 100 may exit the programming modein response to a user input received via the user interface 110 orwirelessly by the radio component 106.

In some example embodiments, if the motion sensor 100 does not detect amotion during a timeout period following the change of the detectionsensitivity to the maximum setting, the controller 102 may exit theprogramming mode. Upon the controller 102 exiting the programming modeat the end of the timeout period, the controller 102 may leave thedetection sensitivity at the maximum setting, at the setting prior toentering the programming mode, or at another setting.

In some alternative embodiments, upon entering the programming mode, thecontroller 102 may set the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor100 at a minimum setting instead of the maximum setting and graduallyincrease the detection sensitivity until the user's motion is detectedat the increased setting. For example, if the desired detection range(i.e., the desired detection sensitivity) of the motion sensor 100 issignificantly smaller than the maximum detection range of the motionsensor 100, in some example embodiments, setting the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor 100 at the minimum setting andgradually incrementing the sensitivity until the user's motion isdetected may result in relatively faster adjustment of the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor 100.

The motion sensor 100 enables the setting of the detection sensitivityof the motion sensor 100 without requiring the user to repeatedly adjustthe sensitivity setting of the motion sensor 100 manually. Because thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100 is set based on the outerboundary of the desired detection range indicated by the user, thedetection sensitivity matches the user's preference and is set withoutrequiring the user to check for motion detection after each manualadjustment of the setting.

Although one sensor element is shown in FIG. 1, in alternativeembodiments, the motion sensor 100 may include more than one sensorelement 104. For example, setting the detection sensitivity of themotion sensor 100 may include setting the sensitivity of the motionsensor 100 regardless of whether the sensor element 104 or anothersensor element of the motion sensor 100 receives a motion indicationsignal that indicates a motion within a detection range of the motionsensor 100. In some alternative embodiments, the radio component 106 orthe user interface 110 may be omitted without departing from the scopeof this disclosure. In some alternative embodiments, some of thecomponents of the motion sensor 100 may be integrated in a singlecomponent without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a motion sensor 200 with automatically adjustabledetection sensitivity according to another example embodiment. Themotion sensor 200 may include the controller 102, the sensor element104, the radio component 106, the memory device 108, and the userinterface 110 described above with respect to the motion sensor 100shown in FIG. 1. In some example embodiments, the motion sensor 200 mayalso include a sensor element 202. The controller 102 is communicablycoupled to the sensor element 104 and to the sensor element 202. Thesensor element 202 operates in a similar manner as described above withrespect to sensor element 104.

In some example embodiments, the sensor element 104 and the sensorelement 202 may have different sensing zones. For example, the sensorelements 104, 202 may have non-overlapping sensing zones/areas, where asignal indicating a motion in one sensing zone/area is received by thesensor element 104 but not the sensor element 202, and where a signalindicating a motion in another sensing zone/area is received by thesensor element 202 but not the sensor element 104. The sensor elements104, 202 may also have an overlapping sensing zone/area, where bothsensor elements 104, 202 may receive a signal indicating a motion withinthe overlapping sensing zone/area. As a non-limiting example, withrespect to the motion sensor 100, the sensor element 104 may be targetedtoward a left quadrant area, and the sensor element 200 may be targetedtoward a right quadrant area.

In some example embodiments, the detection sensitivity of the motionsensor 200 may be set as described above with respect to the motionsensor 100 based on motion indication signals (e.g., infrared signals)received by either the sensor element 104, the sensor element 202, orboth. For example, all of the steps performed by the controller 102 toset/adjust the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100 asdescribed above with respect to FIG. 1 may be performed based on motionindication signals received by the sensor element 104 or by the sensorelement 202. Alternatively, some of the steps described above withrespect to FIG. 1 may be performed based on motion indication signalsreceived by the sensor element 104 and other steps may be performedbased on motion indication signals received by the sensor element 202.

To illustrate, as described above with respect to motion sensor 100,during the programming mode, the controller 102 may gradually decreasethe detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 from the maximumsensitivity until the user's motion is no longer detected, and graduallyincrease the detection sensitivity back up until the user's motion isdetected. The controller 102 may perform the gradual decrease of thedetection sensitivity based on based on signals (e.g., infrared signals)received by the sensor element 104, and the controller 102 may performthe gradual increase of the detection sensitivity based on signals(e.g., infrared signals) received by the sensor element 202. Thesensitivity setting of the motion sensor 200 resulting from theperformance of the sensitivity adjustment performed by the controller102 may be applied to both the sensor element 104 and the sensor element202. As a non-limiting example, both sensor elements 104, 202 may detectmotions within a maximum radial distance of 20 feet from the motionsensor 100 within some angular boundaries.

In some example embodiments, the detection sensitivity of the motionsensor 200 with respect to the sensor element 104 may be different fromthe detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respect to thesensor element 202. For example, the controller 102 may performdetection sensitivity adjustment of the motion sensor 200 with respectto each sensor element separately. To illustrate, a user may provide aninput to the motion sensor 200 that the motion sensor 200 should enter aprogramming mode (e.g., an angular range programming mode) to performdetection sensitivity adjustment of the motion sensor 200 with respectto just one of the sensor elements 104, 202. For example, the user mayprovide a programming mode selection input to the motion sensor 200 viathe user interface 110 or wirelessly from a wireless device to selectthe angular programming mode, where the controller 102 sets thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respect to thesensor element 104.

To set/adjust the sensitivity of the motion sensor 100 with respect tothe sensor element 104 based on sensing by the sensor element 104, afterentering the angular programming mode, the controller 102 may set thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respect to bothsensor elements 104, 202 to a maximum setting. To indicate the desireddetection range of the motion sensor 200 (e.g., distance from the motionsensor 200) with respect to the sensor element 104, the user may movealong the edge/boundary of the desired range limit within thenon-overlapping sensing zone/area of the sensor element 104. If motionindication signals received by the sensor element 104 indicate theuser's motion after the detection sensitivity is set to the maximumsetting, the controller 102 gradually decreases the sensitivity of themotion sensor 100 with respect to the sensor element 104 until theuser's motion is no longer detected. The controller 102 may thenincrease the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respectto the sensor element 104 until the user's motion is again detected bythe sensor element 104 at an increased detection sensitivity setting ofthe motion sensor 200. During the angular programming mode, graduallyincreasing and decreasing the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor200 may be performed in a similar manner as described above.

After determining the increased detection sensitivity setting at whichthe user's motion is detected during the gradual increase of thedetection sensitivity, the controller 102 may set the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respect to the sensor element104 to a new setting that matches or that is based on the increaseddetection sensitivity setting as described with respect to motion sensor100. The new detection sensitivity setting of the motion sensor 200 withrespect to the sensor element 104 may be different from the setting ofthe detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respect to thesensor element 202. Alternatively, the detection sensitivity of themotion sensor 200 with respect to the sensor element 202 may be set tobe the same setting as the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor200 with respect to the sensor element 104. During the angularprogramming mode, gradually increasing and decreasing the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor 200 may be performed in a similarmanner as described above. The controller 102 may set the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respect to the sensor element202 based on sensing by the sensor element 202 in a similar manner asdescribed with respect to the sensor element 104.

In some example embodiments, if a user wants to change the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respect to the sensor element104 based on sensing by the sensor element 104 but not by the sensorelement 202 or vice versa, the motion sensor 200 may provide anindication if a motion is detected by both the sensor elements 104, 202.For example, during the angular programming mode (e.g., after settingthe detection sensitivity to the maximum setting), if motion indicationsignals received by both the sensor elements 104, 202 indicate a motion,the controller 102 may indicate such a condition to the user, which maybe a result of the user moving in the overlapping sensing zone/area ofthe sensor elements 104, 202. For example, the controller 102 may send amessage wirelessly to the user's mobile device, flash a light, and/orproduce a sound to indicate motion detection by both sensor elements104, 202. In response, the user may move to the non-overlapping sensingzone/area of the sensor element 104 or that of the sensor element 202.In some example embodiments, upon detecting such a condition, thecontroller 102 may restart the process of setting/adjusting thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100.

In some example embodiments, the adjustment of the detection sensitivityof the motion sensor 200 with respect to just the sensor element 104 orwith respect to just the sensor element 202 may be performed after theoverall adjustment of the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200based on both sensor elements 104, 202 is performed. Alternatively, theadjustment of the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 withrespect to both sensor elements 104, 202 may be performed after thedetection sensitivity is adjusted with respect to one sensor element ofthe motion sensor 200. Upon adjusting the detection sensitivity of themotion sensor 200 as described above, the motion sensor 200 maycommunicate the new setting to the user and may also indicate that theexit from the programming mode in a similar manner as described above.

By adjusting the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 suchthat the detection range with respect to one sensor element is differentfrom the detection range with respect to another sensor element, use ofphysical structures, such as blinders, that are customarily used tolimit the angular detection range of a motion sensor may be avoided. Byperforming the detection sensitivity adjustment of the motion sensor 200as described above, the motion sensor 200 can save time and can reducerisks associated with repeatedly climbing a ladder to reach a motionsensor to perform manual sensitivity adjustment.

Although two sensor elements are shown in FIG. 2, in alternativeembodiments, the motion sensor 200 may include more than two sensorelements without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In somealternative embodiments, the radio component 106 or the user interface110 may be omitted without departing from the scope of this disclosure.In some alternative embodiments, some of the components of the motionsensor 100 may be integrated in a single component without departingfrom the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates detection sensitivity adjustment of a motion sensor300 according to an example embodiment. For example, the motion sensor300 may be the motion sensor 100 of FIG. 1, the motion sensor 200 ofFIG. 2, or another motion sensor that is similar to the motion sensors100, 200. For example, the motion sensor 300 may include the controller102, one or more of the sensor elements 104, 202, etc. shown in FIGS. 1and 2.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the motion sensor 300 may have an illustrativemotion detection zone 302 corresponding to a maximum detectionsensitivity setting of the motion sensor 300. For example, the motiondetection zone 302 may be bound by the detection range limit 304 andangular boundary lines 318, 320. Detection range limits 304-312 indicateexample distance edges/boundaries of detection zones based on differentsettings of the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 300. Forexample, when a user 314 moves in the direction shown in FIG. 2 betweenthe detection range limits 308 and 310, the motion of the user 314 maybe detected by the motion sensor 300 if the detection sensitivity of themotion sensor 100 is set to correspond to the range limits 304, 306, or308, but the motion may be undetected if the detection sensitivity ofthe motion sensor 100 corresponds to the range limits 310 or 312.

To illustrate, after the motion sensor 300 enters the range settingprogramming mode and sets its detection sensitivity at the maximumsetting as described above with respect to the motion sensors 100, 200,the user 314 may walk at a boundary of the desired maximum detectionrange. A bending arrow 316 illustratively shows the directions of thegradual sensitivity decreasing and increasing steps performed by thecontroller 102 during the programming mode of the motion sensor 300. Forexample, the desired maximum detection range may be between the rangelimits 308 and 310 as shown in FIG. 3. Because the detection sensitivityof the motion sensor 300 is set to maximum sensitivity corresponding tothe range limit 304, the motion sensor 300 can detect the user's motionas the user 314 walks between the range limits 308 and 310. Afterdetecting the user's motion, the controller 102 may gradually decreasethe detection sensitivity until the user's motion is undetected. Forexample, the controller 102 may gradually decrease the detectionsensitivity until it corresponds to the range limit 310. Alternatively,the controller 102 continue to reduce the detection sensitivity of themotion sensor 300 even after the user's motion is no longer detected,for example, until the detection sensitivity reaches the minimumsensitivity setting of the motion sensor 300. The controller 102 thengradually increases the sensitivity back up until the motion sensor 300again detects the motion of the user 314, for example, at the increasedsensitivity setting that corresponds to the range limit 308.

After the motion of the user 314 is detected at the detectionsensitivity setting corresponding to the range limit 308, the setting ofthe detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 300 for normal operationsmay be changed to correspond to, for example, the range limit 308, tothe range limit 320, to a range limit that is computed based thesettings corresponding to the range limits 308 and 310, or to anothersetting that is based on the range limit 308.

Although the detection range limit is shown by the location of the user314 to be between the range limits 308 and 310, in alternativeembodiments, the user 314 may be closer to or farther from the motionsensor 100 than shown to indicate a different outer limit of a desireddetection range. Further, the range limits may be closer or fartherapart than shown and may also be curved without departing from the scopeof this disclosure. In some alternative embodiments, the shape of themotion detection zone 302 may be different from that shown in FIG. 3without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In some alternativeembodiments, different detection sensitivity settings of the motionsensor 300 may correspond to more or fewer range limits than shownwithout departing from the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates detection sensitivity adjustment of a motion sensor200 according to an example embodiment. Referring to FIGS. 2, and 4, themotion sensor 200 may have an illustrative motion detection zone that isa combination of sensor zones 402, 404, 406 at the maximum setting ofthe detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respect to boththe sensor elements 104, 202. For example, the zone/area 402 may be anon-overlapping sensor zone of the sensor element 104, the zone/area 404may be a non-overlapping sensor zone of the sensor element 202, and thezone/area 406 may be an overlapping sensor zone of both sensor elements104, 202. Illustrating with respect to the non-overlapping sensor zone402, the range limits 408, 410, 412, and 418 correspond to settings ofthe detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respect to, forexample, the sensor element 104.

To limit the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respectto one side of the motion sensor 200 in the non-overlapping sensing zone402, after the motion sensor 200 enters the angular range programmingmode and the controller 102 sets the sensitivity to the maximum setting,the controller 102 may detect the motion of the user 314 as the user 314moves at the outer boundary of the desired detection range limit. Forexample, the desired detection range limit may be between the rangelimits 410 and 412. A bending arrow 416 illustratively shows thedirections of the gradual sensitivity decreasing and increasing stepsperformed by the controller 102 during the programming mode of themotion sensor 200.

The controller 102 may detect the motion of the user 314 based on motionindication signals received via the sensor element 104. In some exampleembodiments, if the controller 102 detects motion of the user 314 basedon motion indication signals received via both sensor elements 104, 202,the controller 102 may indicate so to the user (e.g., flashing a light,sending a wireless signal to the user device, etc.) and may restart thedetection sensitivity adjustment process.

After detecting the motion of the user 314 based on motion indicationsignals received by the sensor element 104 but not by the sensor element202, the controller 102 may gradually decrease the sensitivity until theuser's motion is undetected (or even further, for example, to minimumsetting). The controller 102 may then gradually increase the sensitivityback up until the motion sensor 200 detects the motion of the user 314.After the motion of the user 314 is detected at the increased detectionsensitivity setting corresponding to the range limit 410, the setting ofthe detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 with respect to thesensor element 104 may be set for normal operations to correspond to,for example, the range limit 410, to the range limit 412, to a rangelimit that is computed based on the settings corresponding to the rangelimits 410 and 412, or to another setting that is based on the settingcorresponding to the range limit 410.

In some example embodiments, the detection sensitivity of the motionsensor 200 with respect to the non-overlapping sensing zone 404 (andthus, the sensor element 202) may be set in a similar manner instead ofor in addition to the setting of the detection sensitivity of the motionsensor 200 with respect to the sensor element 104 described above. Insome example embodiments, the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor200 may be adjusted based on detection by one or both sensor element104, 202, based on the movement of the user 314 within the overlappingsensing zone 406 to indicate the desired detection range limit.

Although FIG. 4 is described with respect to the motion sensor 200, thedescription is applicable to embodiments of the motion sensor 100 ofFIG. 1 that include more than one sensor element. In some exampleembodiments, the range limits may be spaced differently than shownwithout departing from the scope of this disclosure. In some alternativeembodiments, the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 200 maycorrespond to more or fewer detection range limits than shown withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500 of automatically adjusting detectionsensitivity of the motion sensors 100, 200, 300 of FIGS. 1-3 accordingto an example embodiment. Referring to FIGS. 1-5, in some exampleembodiments, at step 502, the method 500 includes setting, by thecontroller 102, a detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100, 200,300 to a maximum setting. The motion sensor 100, 200, 300 may detect amotion, for example, of the user 314 at the maximum setting. At step504, the method 500 includes decreasing, by the controller 102, thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100, 200, 300 until themotion is undetectable by the motion sensor 100, 200, 300. At step 506,the method 500 includes increasing, by the controller 102, the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor 100, 200, 300 until the motion sensor100, 200, 300 detects the motion at an increased setting. At step 508,the method 500 includes setting, by the controller 102, the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor to a new setting, wherein the newsetting is determined based on the increased setting.

In some example embodiments, the method 500 may also include entering aprogramming mode before setting a detection sensitivity of the motionsensor 100, 200, 300 to a maximum setting, for example, in response to auser input provided via the user interface 110 or via wirelesscommunication. As described above, a motion sensor 100, 200, 300 mayinclude two or more sensor elements. Setting the detection sensitivityof the motion sensor 100, 200, 300 to the new setting may includesetting the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect tojust one sensor element of the motion sensor 100, 200, 300 such that asetting of the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor 100, 200, 300with respect to the one or more other sensor elements is different fromthe new setting. Upon setting of the detection sensitivity of the motionsensor to the new setting, the method 500 may include exiting theprogramming mode and indicating that the detection sensitivity of themotion sensor In some example embodiments, set to the new setting, forexample, by sending a message to the user using wireless signals or byother means such as flashing a light.

FIG. 6 illustrates a lighting fixture 600 including a motion sensor 606according to an example embodiment. For example, the motion sensor 606may be the motion sensor 100, the motion sensor 200, the motion sensor300, or another motion sensor that operates in a similar manner asdescribed above with respect to the motion sensors 100, 200, 300.

In some example embodiments, the lighting fixture 600 may also include alighting device 602 that is coupled to the motion sensor 606. Forexample, the lighting device 602 may include a light source 604 (e.g.,LED light source) that may be turned on and off based on motiondetection by the motion sensor 606. The detection sensitivity of themotion sensor 606 may be adjusted as described above with respect to themotion sensors 100, 200, 300, for example, to limit areas near thelighting fixture 600 where a motion can result in the light source 604being powered on.

Although the lighting fixture 600 is shown in FIG. 6 as including onemotion sensor, in alternative embodiments, the lighting fixture 600multiple motion sensors without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure. In some alternative embodiments, the motion sensor 606 maybe integrated in the lighting fixture 600 in a different manner or maybe external to the lighting fixture 600 without departing from the scopeof this disclosure.

Although particular embodiments have been described herein in detail,the descriptions are by way of example. The features of the exampleembodiments described herein are representative and, in alternativeembodiments, certain features, elements, and/or steps may be added oromitted. Additionally, modifications to aspects of the exampleembodiments described herein may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims, thescope of which are to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass modifications and equivalent structures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A motion sensor, comprising: a sensor element tosense a motion; and a controller communicably coupled to the sensorelement, wherein the controller is configured to: set a detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor to a maximum setting of the detectionsensitivity; decrease the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor,upon a detection of the motion at the maximum setting of the detectionsensitivity, until the motion is undetectable by the motion sensor at adecreased setting of the detection sensitivity; and set the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor to a new setting after decreasing thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor.
 2. The motion sensor ofclaim 1, further comprising a wireless transceiver communicably coupledto the controller to wirelessly transmit and receive wireless signals.3. The motion sensor of claim 1, wherein the controller sets thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor to the maximum setting of thedetection sensitivity during a programming mode of the motion sensor. 4.The motion sensor of claim 3, wherein the motion sensor enters theprogramming mode in response to user input received wirelessly by themotion sensor.
 5. The motion sensor of claim 3, wherein the motionsensor enters the programming mode in response to a user input receivedvia a user interface of the motion sensor.
 6. The motion sensor of claim3, wherein the motion sensor exits the programming mode if the motion isundetected within a timeout period after the detection sensitivity ofthe motion sensor is set to the maximum setting of the detectionsensitivity.
 7. The motion sensor of claim 6, wherein the controllerleaves the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor set to the maximumsetting of the detection sensitivity when the motion sensor exits theprogramming mode at an end of the timeout period.
 8. The motion sensorof claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to decrease thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor in fixed sensitivityintervals that correspond to fixed distances.
 9. The motion sensor ofclaim 1, wherein the controller is configured to decrease the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor in non-fixed sensitivity intervals thatcorrespond to variable distances.
 10. A motion sensor, comprising: afirst sensor element to sense a first motion in a first area; a secondsensor element to sense a second motion in a second area; and acontroller configured to: decrease a first detection sensitivity of themotion sensor with respect to the first sensor element until the firstmotion is undetectable by the motion sensor; increase the firstdetection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the firstsensor element after the motion becomes undetectable until the motionsensor detects the first motion at an increased setting; and set thefirst detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to thefirst sensor element to a new setting based on the increased setting,wherein the new setting is different from a setting of a seconddetection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the secondsensor element.
 11. The motion sensor of claim 10, wherein thecontroller is configured to set the second detection sensitivity of themotion sensor with respect to the second sensor element based on thesecond motion.
 12. The motion sensor of claim 10, wherein the controlleris configured to set the first detection sensitivity of the motionsensor with respect to the first sensor element to the new settingduring a programming mode of the motion sensor.
 13. The motion sensor ofclaim 12, wherein the controller is configured to indicate to a user ifa user's motion is sensed by both the first sensor element and thesecond sensor element during the programming mode.
 14. The motion sensorof claim 12, wherein the motion sensor enters the programming mode inresponse to a user input received via a user interface of the motionsensor.
 15. The motion sensor of claim 12, wherein the motion sensorexits the programming mode in response to a user input receivedwirelessly by the motion sensor.
 16. The motion sensor of claim 10,wherein the controller is configured to set the first detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the first sensorelement and the second detection sensitivity of the motion sensor withrespect to the second sensor element based on a third motion sensed inan area that is overlapped by the first area and the second area.
 17. Amethod of adjusting sensitivity of a motion sensor, the methodcomprising: decreasing, by the controller, the detection sensitivity ofthe motion sensor until a motion that is previously detectable by themotion sensor is undetectable by the motion sensor; increasing, by thecontroller, the detection sensitivity of the motion sensor after themotion becomes undetectable until the motion sensor detects the motionat an increased setting; and setting, by the controller, the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor to a new setting, wherein the newsetting is determined based on the increased setting.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising entering a programming mode of the motionsensor in response to a user input prior to setting the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor to the new setting.
 19. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the motion sensor comprises a first sensor element anda second sensor element, wherein the step of setting the detectionsensitivity of the motion sensor to the new setting comprises settingthe detection sensitivity of the motion sensor with respect to the firstsensor element to the new setting, and wherein the detection sensitivityof the motion sensor with respect to the second sensor element is adifferent setting from the new setting.
 20. The method of claim 17,further comprising indicating, by the motion sensor, the setting of thedetection sensitivity of the motion sensor to the new setting.